Travel and Tourism: Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto (Canada).

Carts were used to move bricks in and out of drying tunnels and kilns, part of the Holcim Gallery, Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto (Canada).

“Building 16” at the Brick Works housed several massive kilns built in the 1960s for firing and drying bricks. The kilns were fascinating artifacts, but their sheer size – 600 linear metres occupying three-quarters of the building – made the space impossible to use.

Dissecting the kilns to reveal their hidden spaces and internal workings, opened up the building, providing space for a large-scale contemporary venue (Holcim Gallery), and at the same time tells the story of this historic space.

Visitors can now access and explore the various interior spaces of the kilns, and learn about the different stages of firing brick: preheating, firing, and cooling. The rich, industrial masonry of this site is brought to life by a simple but strategic process of deconstruction and interpretation.